The present invention relates to a variable tilt loud speaker enclosure, and more particularly to a guitar amplifier wherein electronic means for operating the loud speaker is also disposed within the enclosure.
While the invention may be utilized with any type of loud speaker enclosure wherein no electronic means is disposed within the enclosure, it is especially adapted to be utilized as a guitar amplifier. It may be desirable to tilt a loud speaker enclosure which is not a guitar amplifier in some instances, but it is particularly convenient that the enclosures of guitar amplifiers be provided with some means for tilting the enclosure relative to a support surface.
The enclosures of most guitar amplifiers are essentially rectangular boxes with electronic components located in the top part of the enclosure with a loud speaker baffle board disposed immediately under the electronic components. The baffle board is disposed at the front part of the enclosures, and a plurality of loud speakers are attached thereto. Since most guitar amplifiers are less than 24 inches in height, the enclosure of the amplifier usually sits on a support surface such as the floor with the loud speakers facing forward and directed essentially parallel to the floor.
Guitar players traditionally perform standing up with their amplifiers on the floor or often on a chair or in some kind of a stand to facilitate raising the amplifier closer to the player's ear level. Tilt-back stands used to support the amplifier are designed to aim the amplifier upward at some desired angle, thus allowing the player to hear himself play as opposed to the sound basically beaming out of the speakers at knee-level.
Guitar amplifiers have been provided in the prior art with means for supporting the amplifiers in a tilted angle. Such prior art means is in the form of two legs which are pivotally supported on the outside of opposite sides of the enclosure. Since the legs are mounted externally of the enclosure, the legs have to be short enough so that they do not extend below the enclosure when it is in vertical position. When the enclosure is tilted backwards, the legs swing about their pivot supports until they engage stop members extending outwardly from the sides of the enclosure.
This prior art arrangement allows the enclosure to be tilted at approximately a 45 degree angle to a support surface because of the location of the center of gravity of the amplifier plus the limited length of the legs. The 45 degree angle is far too great for most applications. Bands usually play on risers above a supporting surface, and are therefore located at a higher level than the audience. The 45 degree angle therefore directs the sound over the heads of the audience which is obviously undesirable.
Furthermore, this prior art enable only two modes of operation. The amplifier can be used either in its normal vertical orientation or it can be tilted back 45 degrees. There is no other possible angle which can be obtained between a 45 degree and 90 degree relationship to a supporting surface. It is therefore desirable to provide a construction wherein the enclosure can be tilted to an infinite number of different positions between opposite limits.
A further disadvantage of the prior art as discussed above is that the legs are disposed externally of the cabinet and are subject to damage when the legs are not in use such as when the cabinet is transported from one location to another.